The bill makes Florida the last Republican-led state to pass a 15-week abortion ban bill this session. In addition, the Kentucky Legislature on Wednesday override Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto on a wide-ranging abortion bill that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. And in Oklahoma, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday signed into law a bill that makes abortion illegal in the state, except in the event of a medical emergency. The US Supreme Court seems ready to uphold Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks. Roe’s fate against Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling of 1973 that legalized abortion nationwide, also hangs, and anti-abortion activists hope the court’s conservative majority will overturn it. Previously, Florida had allowed abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy, making it one of the most permitted states for abortion in the Southeast. Proponents of abortion said many women from neighboring states traveled frequently to Florida for the procedure, meaning that changes in Florida legislation could be felt throughout the area. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida reported 71,914 abortions in 2019, or 18.5 per 1,000 women, the third highest rate in the country. “We are here today to defend those who cannot defend themselves,” DeSantis said in a scene surrounded by many women lawmakers, anti-abortion advocates and children. “This will represent the most important life protections we have seen in a generation.” The bill comes just days after a Tallahassee District Court judge ruled that Florida could require a 24-hour waiting period for an abortion, ending a seven-year legal dispute over another controversial abortion measure. The state Senate passed the bill March 23-15 on the Democrats’ objections, who shared the painful and emotional stories of women who chose to have an abortion after an injury. State Sen. Lauren Book, a Democratic Plantation and minority party leader, told her colleagues she had been raped and asked lawmakers to include an exemption for women who become pregnant as a result of sexual violence. Buck burst into tears after the rejection of the proposed amendment by Republicans, who have a majority in parliament. President Joe Biden, in a tweet in March, described the new abortion restriction in Florida as “a dangerous bill that would severely restrict women’s access to reproductive health.”
